Capa Flash Not So Stealth

[tmac450]

When you 1st upload a tune from the capa box, it stores your factory tune in the F slot and it does this once and once only.

When you flash your F tune back in to take the car to Ford for a service, an outstanding TSB on the factory tune is applied (I believe its a cure for an overboost problem).

This new factory tune has a different version number (just like a Windows upgrade). The details are stored on the Ford database.

You then go home and flash your custom tune back in and when you next flash the factory tune back in, you flash the old factory tune pre the TSB.

When you take the car in for a driveline warranty claim, the Ford investigators cross check the tune versions on the car and on their database.

If they dont match then they know that you have a capa flasher.

A fix for this is;

a) to not have this or any future tune TSBs applied by knowing your Ford service guy or

b) flash in the factory tune before a service and send the capa box back to Capa to unlock it. After the service and when you get the box back and install your custom tune, your new factory tune will be stored in the F slot. This can only be done 5 times by Capa but by that point, your car will probably be out of warranty anyway.

The only down side to option b) is that Capa will be able to see your tuner's custom tunes.

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Or, get your Ford servicing out of the way before you edit (go in for the free 3k servicem than take all other log book services to a reputable mechanic, which is allowable under warranty due to an MTA ruleing made a few years back). Also, on that issue, knowing the poor track record of dealers, how can they prove that the apprentice didn't forget to put in the new flash after he logged it being done on his job sheet.

[jetute]

OK, enough with the speculation.  Lets settle it here and now.  Disregard this you 'play you pay' argument becuase in may cases (such as known faults with gearboxes and diffs) the modifications had little to do with the failure.

Has anyone actually been knocked back for warranty beacuse Ford said, "We detected that your car has been edited."

None of this urban myth sh*t where, "My best freiends, 2nd cousin..", or "I heard of this guy...", or "One time, at bandcamp..."

Also, we don't want to hear about anyone who forgot to flash back the std tune either.

We want to hear from any edited owners here who have actually been caught, not tricked into admitting it.  Funny thing is, Subaru flash editing has been going on for quite a while and a service manager from Tom Kerr Subaru admitted to me that they couldn't tell if the ECU had been changed even if the hot tune was still there. 

Also, if it's so easy to detect, why did CAMS give up trying to police it in production car racing and open up the rules to allow computer modification?

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Two words...

NUP!!!!!!!!!

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what he said

[XR68UZ]

never been detected, they even flash a new version of software into my car, which was then stored onto the edit box. no dramas

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Is that even possible?

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I got c&v to upload into my box for me.

[Guest]

Two words...

NUP!!!!!!!!!

dw....blonk the second word was?????

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what he said

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what they said if done wisely by a tuner that has all the right info on all the dtc's they check

but and here is a big but they also are activating a log as to times and dates that the pcm is reflashed!!!!

imho wont be for a while but???

[urslow]

So really if you flash your car at 30,000 k's and dont service at ford the your right?

Only goto ford when u need to claim warranty?

[Adam]

It's never bothered me if they could detect it or not.

I take my ute in mods and all, it's safe to say they know it's modified.

[chooch]

Has what Max Power said actually happened to anyone.

It's easy to say this and that but has it actually happened?

[chooch]

Also.....

with Max Power's comments above, what he is saying that Ford are "assuming" we have a capa box. Just becuase the ECU version reverts back to the old version surely they cant refuse warranty work because the ECU is still standard?

[tmac450]

Also.....

with Max Power's comments above,  what he is saying that Ford are "assuming" we have a capa box.  Just becuase the ECU version reverts back to the old version surely they cant refuse warranty work because the ECU is still standard?

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I agree.

[ZAP]

Well I was told by a FPV engineer at last years Sydney motor show that the could not detect it in the BA's, but they could in the BF's.

This is enough for me to not risk it.